A traditional aso oke for a Nigerian wedding. A kimono for a Japanese tea. A red lehenga for a Hindu ceremony. The men and women featured in our wedding announcements (and other couples) wore outfits that told many stories, some of personal style and others of cultural traditions. Here is a selection of photographs from their weddings, with details on their purchases.
1. A Dream (Dress) Come True
Alix Raspé in Eve of Milady
Since she was a little girl Alix Raspé dreamed of wearing a pink princess dress when she got married. “This dress seemed like the perfect, more adult, compromise of my dream pink wedding dress,” said Ms. Raspé, who chose an Eve of Milady gown embellished with delicate pale pink and white flowers, along with a layer of clear sequins underneath the top skirt. “I was glowing, I felt so happy, beautiful, in love and loved by everyone who attended our wedding,” said Ms. Raspé who found her dress at Kleinfelds in New York. “I knew I was marrying my prince and I had the perfect princess dress to make my wedding feel royal and spectacular.”
2. A Touch of Red and a Nod to Tradition
Jennifer Miao in Zuhair Murad
Dr. Jennifer Miao learned to work under pressure as she studied for her medical degree. But finding a wedding dress during her residency proved to be a greater obstacle than she thought. “I purchased my dress online without a formal fitting, given my schedule,” she said. “The second time I tried it on was my wedding day — one week after finishing a monthlong rotation in the medical intensive care unit.” Dr. Miao wore a dress designed by Zuhair Murad. “I fell in love with its simple but elegant front and dramatic, intricately layered tulle skirt that enhanced the dress’ free-spirited, impressionistic qualities,” she said. “I chose to wear red lipstick and red suede Valentino Rockstud heels as a homage to my Chinese heritage.” In the end, she felt that what she wore paled in comparison to the love she felt. “I felt incredibly fortunate to be able to see my husband-to-be’s asymmetrical dimples and green eyes light up as I walked down the aisle.”
3. Classic with a Twist
Laura Suppan in Raf Simons for Calvin Klein and Jacquemus
Laura Suppan was inspired by New York and the many iconic couples who wed there, and so she carefully selected wedding day looks that featured mostly New York-based designers. “The idea of looking back at our pictures and seeing my husband and me in this amazing setting inspired me to choose pieces that have an equal connection to the city and my heritage,” said Ms. Suppan, who wore a dress designed by Raf Simons for Calvin Klein for the morning ceremony at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau and a suit from Jacquemus for the reception at the New York Yacht Club. “It didn’t feel right for me to wear an elaborate wedding gown, so I was set to find a non-wedding dress. I tried about 50 different dresses all over the city before I found ‘the one.’”
4. Four Looks, Two Weddings
Morenike and Ademola Adewale-Sadik in custom outfits crafted by the Nigerian designers Tsemaye Binitie, Toju Foyeh, Andrea Iyamah and Deola Sagoe of House of Deola
Morenike Adewale-Sadik had a total off four outfits, two for each day of her two-day wedding celebration. For the traditional Nigerian wedding, Ms. Adewale-Sadik and her husband, Ademola Adewale-Sadik, chose a matching teal blue aso oke, a garment worn by the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria. “I wanted to wear a solid color to stand out solely from the color in a sea of so many people,” said Ms. Adewale-Sadik, who later changed into an embellished pink tulle aso oke, while her husband wore a matching pink ensemble. For the next ceremony, Ms. Adewale-Sadik donned a white, off-shoulder mermaid gown from Andrea Iyamah a Nigerian-born designer based in Canada. “My outfits were all custom-made by Nigerian designers,” Ms. Adewale-Sadik said. “I have never felt such a sense of pure euphoria. Each of my designers paid tremendous amounts of detail to my outfits and getting to wear some family heirlooms made it all the more special.”
5. A Dreamy Vintage Gown
Anna Kaschel in a custom dress designed by Mariel Manuel
Anna Kaschel didn’t see herself wearing a white traditional bridal dress, especially because her wedding was not a very traditional one. “We decided to do a spontaneous and fun road trip to New Orleans from New York City,” said Ms. Kaschel. “Inspired by the tropical vibrant spirit of New Orleans and our beautiful location, the Tree of Life in Audubon Park, I chose to go for a colorful but very dreamy tropical ‘L.A. desert vintage’ inspired wedding dress.” Ms. Kaschel enlisted the help of her friend Mariel Manuel, who designed and created an outfit that consisted of a colorful underdress made from Bombay silk, handmade and tie-dyed, and a top layer of petal pink chiffon. “When I slipped into my dress that day and into my favorite bright golden summer shoes, I felt like a dreamy vintage, yet contemporary bride,” she said. “I was so happy.”
6. A Grandmother’s Gift
Eri Tagaya in a custom kimono and gown by Zahavit Tshuba
On Eri Tagaya’s 20th birthday, her grandmother bought her a traditional Japanese furisode kimono from Mitsukoshi in Tokyo. Years later, she didn’t have to look far for the perfect look for her tea ceremony. “The furisode style is one which can only be worn by single women, and I wore it to our tea ceremony at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco, the day before the wedding,” Ms. Tagaya said. “During the tea ceremony, I felt connected with my grandmother, who passed away in 2012.” On her wedding day, Ms. Tagaya wore a dress from the Israeli designer Zahavit Tshuba for the ceremony and later changed out of the long skirt and into an ostrich feather mini so that she could dance the night away. “On my wedding day, I felt full of joy,” she said. “And at the same time, deeply peaceful, like I was floating through the best dream I have ever had.”
7. Palm Spring’s Rat Pack Glamour
Henry Orzynski and Judson Trapnell in the Black Tux
Henry Orzynski and Judson Trapnell’s black-tie dress code from the Black Tux was a nod to Palm Spring’s history as Hollywood’s playground. “Jud and I wore ivory dinner jackets while the male wedding attendees wore standard black tuxedos,” Mr. Orzynski said. “We wanted to stand out, but neither of us wanted to be the only one in white for fear of looking like ‘the bride.’” The couple added a custom detail to their wedding day looks with cummerbunds bearing their monograms in a needle point design by a Colorado artist. “Our outfits felt highly personalized and reminiscent of Palm Spring’s Rat Pack glamour,” said Mr. Trapnell, who surprised Mr. Orzynski with bespoke fox and hound cuff links made by Anna Biggs, a family friend and jewelry designer. “As we left the ceremony, we hopped into a vintage red Mercedes convertible that Henry arranged as a surprise for me.”
8. Fit For Martha’s Vineyard
Najah Woodby in Made with Love
Najah Woodby knew she wanted a form-fitting dress, but she wasn’t quite sold on lace. “Originally, I didn’t think I wanted lace until I saw the most beautiful lace dress that was classic yet unconventional at the same time,” Ms. Woodby said of the Made with Love dress that she bought at Lovely Bride, a bridal shop in New York. “It was elegant, sexy and fit my wedding venue in Martha’s Vineyard perfectly. And most importantly the dress made me feel beautiful and perfectly flattered my figure.”
9. Inspired by Mom
Lepi Jha Fishman in traditional lehengas
Lepi Jha Fishman didn’t think much about what she would wear on her wedding day, but she didn’t have to look far for ideas. “I ended up looking at my mother’s wedding photos for inspiration,” she said. “My mother wore a beautiful red sari with gold accents.” Ms. Jha Fishman also looked to her then-fiancé Eddie Fishman, who loved trees, for inspiration. “To recognize these two incredibly important people in my lives, I chose to wear a deep red lehenga with gold accents that were arranged in the likeness of a tree,” she said of the outfit she wore to her reception, designed by Manish Malhotra. On Ms. Jha Fishman’s wedding day, her parents gifted her a custom maang tikka, an Indian bridal centerpiece worn on the forehead, and to complete the look, she wore a beige lehenga from Nazranaa, an Indian bridal shop in Iselin, N.J. “I wanted both the Jha and Fishman sides of the day to come through in my choice of lehengas,” she said. “Thinking through the elements that were part of both of our traditions made me feel like I could wear those traditions during our ceremony and reception.”
10. Dressing for a New Outlook
Meghan Paul in Oscar de la Renta and Naeem Khan
The first time Meghan Paul wore a wedding gown she had idealistic expectations about marriage and a wedding dress. This time, she wanted a dress to reflect the change in her outlook. “I had previously worn a princess-style ball gown, which in hindsight, perfectly described my idealism when it came to marriage,” she said. “Now, I had a more mature, realistic view on marriage, and wanted my dress to reflect that, while still being fashion-forward.” Ms. Paul married Peter Marquis on Sept. 2 at the Greengate Ranch and Vineyard in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Shopping for that wedding was trickier than she expected, so she enlisted the help of a professional. “I was referred to the bridal stylist Maradee Wahl who expedited the process immensely, and even made it fun,” Ms. Paul said. “After going through the look book process, we ended up selecting the Lola gown from Oscar de la Renta’s 2018 collection.” Ms. Wahl also helped with selecting a reception gown designed by Naeem Khan from the Mark Ingram Bridal Atelier in New York. Having a second outfit, Ms. Paul said, “took the pressure off getting the perfect wedding gown and made dancing the night away so fun.”
11. The Un-Bridal Gown
Anne Fink in Dan Jones
Anne Fink had a very specific vision for what she didn’t want to wear on her wedding day, and that was a strapless, lace, mermaid gown with a beaded silk belt. “I wanted something that felt unique and also fit my body, I wanted something simple that I could move around in.” Ms. Fink heard about an Australian designer, Dan Jones, that created an entire line called “Unbridaled,” which included wedding dresses that didn’t feel “too bride-y.” It didn’t take long for Ms. Fink to find the gown that she had been searching for. “The dress is so reminiscent to that of my late grandmother, the second I put it on I knew it was the dress,” she said of the gown that featured long sleeves, a high neckline and a simple skirt. Ms. Fink completed her look with vintage diamond floral shaped drop earrings and classic white Manolo Blahnik shoes. “I’ve never felt more beautiful in my life,” she said. “I got to marry my best friend, and do it feeling beautiful.”
12. A Marriage of Two Visions
Lauren Gumerove in Pronovias Atelier
When Lauren Gumerove was considering what to wear on her wedding day, her future husband had his own ideas. While Ms. Gumerove wanted a more form-fitting wedding dress, he wanted to see her in a poufy princess gown. “After shopping at countless New York wedding dress boutiques, I had yet to find ‘the one,’” said Ms. Gumerove, who married Brennan Gumerove Jan. 19 at the Metropolitan Club of New York. “So, I decided to buck tradition and bring my fiancé, who routinely vets my outfits, with me to see if his input could get me any closer to finding my dream wedding dress.” However, their visions still didn’t align. “To marry these two visions, my wedding planner, Jennifer Taylor of a Taylored Affair, and I came up with a compromise: a magnificent custom overskirt that I could wear in the first part of the evening and take off when the party started.” Ms. Gumerove worked closely with Designer Loft and Pronovias to make her (and her fiancé’s) vision into a reality, and, after seven fittings, her dress was finally ready. “I felt otherworldly and regal in my dress and custom overskirt, so much so that I ended up wearing the overskirt well into the night. It perfectly fit the grandeur of the venue and the decadence of our vision for the wedding.”
13. Falling in Love with Saris
Megan Barry in Sabyasachi
When Megan Barry and Rohit Anand began planning their Indian wedding ceremony, Ms. Barry knew that a white dress, which is usually worn as a sign of mourning in the Hindu religion, was not in the cards. “In the beginning, I was a little sad about this but then I started looking at my sari options and I fell in love,” said Ms. Barry, who married Mr. Anand Sept. 8 at the Light House in Chelsea Piers in New York. Ms. Barry visited the Sabyasachi store in Mumbai, India, and was captivated with all of his designs. “Since I couldn’t wear white I knew I wanted to wear gold and when I saw my dress in the designer’s book I knew I had to have it,” she said.
14. First Time’s a Charm
Alexandra Britton in Monique Lhuillier
After visiting Ultimate Bride, a bridal shop in Chicago, it didn’t take long Alexandra Britton to find the dress of her dreams. “It was the first dress I tried on, and I fell in love with it,” said Ms. Britton, who bought a Monique Lhuillier gown that she paired with a custom cathedral veil designed to match. “I wanted something elegant and classic while also being fun and festive.” Ms. Britton, who had a black-tie New Year’s Eve wedding last year at the St. Jane Hotel in Chicago, said she felt beautiful and empowered on her wedding day. “Someone called me an ice princess,” she said, “and it was probably the most astute and flattering description possible.”
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